1. Field of Art
This invention relates to helicopters, and more particularly to apparatus for desensitizing the helicopter to short-term inadvertent pilot inputs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A desirable characteristic of modern helicopters, particularly those used in ground-related operations, is high performance. This includes rapid, positive response to pilot input commands induced by the pilot through the control sticks. However, if the aircraft is highly responsive, any stick motion will cause a response, which in some cases is undesirable. For instance, the pilot may inadvertently produce a jerk in the stick which is immediately corrected. Similarly, if the aircraft is moved in one direction or the other rapidly, such as by a gust of wind or a rigid/elastic response mode of the helicopter, the pilot's inertia will cause him to resist the motion, thereby providing a momentary counterinput to the control stick. Also, since most helicopters have dual controls connected through the same mechanical linkage to the respective control channels, movement about the cockpit by one pilot could cause bumping of a stick inadvertently. In each of these instances (and others) a rapid short motion of the stick is normally immediately corrected by the pilot. Thus these unintentional inputs are of very short duration. However, they can be annoying and disruptive, particularly when close maneuvers are being employed and pilot workload is high. Also, these actions can cause response of the stability system in an undesired manner in some cases.